Despite It All
by DaughteroftheKing97
Summary: Bruce lost his grip on his briefcase as he stared, open mouthed,at the television. The fuzzy image showed a gunmen holding a raven-haired boy half out the window. The boy had a wound on his leg, gushing blood, and he looked unconscious. "Dick!"T for blood
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: If I owned Young Justice, do you REALLY think my piggy bank would be starving?**

_Robin smirks as he creeps toward the green-haired psychopath. His fingers are tingling, itching and just _waiting _to punch the Joker square in the nose, to feel and hear the _crack _that will signal he's broken it. The man is still rambling about some type of nonsense involving two playing cards and a rubber duck when a birdarang suddenly lodges itself in his hand. _

_But the man doesn't frown. Hardly even flinches as he tears out the weapon and thick crimson red liquid trickles from the wound. He lifts a crowbar as Robin advances. The boy just laughs (creepily or amusingly, depending on who you ask) and lands a round-house kick to the madman's head. The Joker falls, the smile still plastered on his face…_

"Richard!"

Jerked from his thoughts, Dick stares up at his 7th grade math teacher, Ms. Hannigan. He doesn't think it's a coincidence she shares the same name as the old, mean woman in that old movie _Annie_. She absolutely _hates _children, who he doesn't know why she's teaching a class full of 12 and 13-year-olds.

"Um…what was the question?" he asks sheepishly. This draws several snickers and giggles from the rest of the class.

She glares at him, but, really, who can blame him for being distracted? It's early May, which means school is almost out, which means he'll be able to respond to Batman (and Robin) SOS calls all day, without having to fake a stomachache.

She taps the chalkboard and Dick stares at the question a moment. Without bothering to write down the steps on paper, he answers tiredly, "X equals 76."

She nods once and then starts to drone about variables. He tunes out. Even if he doesn't listen he _knows _he can pass. He's always bored in math class.

He glances out the window to the playground equipped with a full basketball court, soccer field, baseball diamond, and state-of-the-art playground equipment. This _is _Gotham Academy, after all, school to the sons and daughters of the Gotham's elite. Even if some of the older kids think they're too cool to play…

Ms. Hannigan's lecture abruptly ends when an alarm rings through the school. She pauses, listening, when an automated voice blares through the loudspeaker system. "_Intruder alert. Intruder alert. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is NOT a drill." _

The kids all dive beneath their desks, with their hands over their heads, what they learned during their drills, and some of the girls begin to cry quietly. Dick, not scared in the least (he faces this kind of thing every other day, after all) stares at the door which had bolted shut automatically when the alarm first went off.

He hears shouts and gunshots in the hallway, and most of the kids are whimpering now. Dick glances over and sees the girl that sits next to him shaking, tears running down her cheeks.

Dick's desk is in the front and to the right, which means he's closest to the door. And even when you're a superhero, it can be a little frightening when the door suddenly blows in.

He allows himself a small (very manly) scream as three men, all armed with guns and a wild look in their eyes, walk in. The one in front smiles eerily, three of his front teeth missing, and crouches by Dick's desk. "Hello, little one," he purrs. He breath reeks of alcohol and cigarette smoke.

Dick glares at him, which only makes the man grab him by the scruff of the neck and haul him out. The boy manages to act scared (he has a reputation to maintain as a billionaire's ward, after all) as the man shoves the gun under his ribcage.

The man shoves harder and Dick winces, but stays silent.

"Brave, ain't he?" the man snickers to his two comrades. They bob their heads silently, smirking.

"Let's see how a hole in yer heart changes that."

Dick's eyes widen as there's a gunshot, intense, burning pain, and then nothing.

-BREAK LINE! :D :D-

Bruce rubs a growing headache as his electronics expert rants (more to himself than Bruce) about some problem with the motor of Wayne Enterprises' newest invention.

"Mr. Kyle, I'm sure you can find the solution," Bruce says, forcing a small smile. "You _are _my best electronics expert, after all." He snaps his briefcase closed as Kyle grins, puffing his chest out slightly. "But I promised my son I'd be home for dinner, and I know he'll hold me to it. You know how kids can be."

Kyle smiles. "Yeah, I understand. I have eight grandkids."

Bruce nods absentmindedly as the man follows him out of his office. He _had _promised Dick he'd be home in time for dinner _- _but only because Dick wanted more training.

"Mr. Wayne? I think you'd better see this." He turns towards his frazzled, worried-looking secretary, Amy.

"What?" he asks, tired of distractions. "I promised Dick-"

"I don't know if Dick will be home in time for dinner," she answered, grabbing the remote that controlled the television in the waiting room adjacent to his office. She turned up the volume, chewing her lip.

"…it's been confirmed that three gunmen have made their way inside Gotham Academy," the groomed reporter said. "They have barricaded themselves in a 7th grade classroom and there have been several gunshots but no confirmed injuries or deaths." She paused, one hand over the Bluetooth in her ear. "This just in, there _is _one confirmed injury and several other presumed. It's unclear exactly who has been injured but police are attempting to get an ID…" Bruce's heart nearly stops when the fuzzy footage flashed on the screen. One of the gunmen had a raven-haired boy by the back of his shirt, holding him halfway out the window. Blood was pouring from a wound in his upper thigh, and he appeared unconscious.

"Dick!"

He drops his briefcase and sprints for the door.

By the time he's pulled into the Gotham Academy parking lot, he's contacted half the Justice League. He's too emotionally attached to Dick, he'd end up doing something drastic to save his little boy's life if _Batman _had to save him. So Flash had graciously agreed to come, the others too wrapped up in battles of their own.

A red blur speeds past him, followed closely by a yellow one. _Oh, great. Kid Flash. _

Kid Flash is practically vibrating with jumpiness and anticipation as Flash talks with Commissioner Gordon, explains that Batman is 'away on personal business' and that he's been drafted to help.

"Unfortunately, you can't just barge in there," Gordon says with a scowl. "Too many kids' lives are at risk here."

Kid Flash frowns. "But c'mon! That kid is possibly _dying_. We gotta do _something_!"

Gordon chews on his lower lip. "I know. I hate just standing here, too. We have our best men attempting to negotiate with the gunmen. Maybe you can use that as a distraction to-"

But the speedsters are already sprinting for the school.

**I know, I know. Short first chapter, right? I hate to say it, but most of the stories I write…chapters are usually just a little over 1,000 words long. I'm gonna be frank for a minute: I'm looming stocking caps to sell and raise money for World Vision. I believe helping starving children is more important than Young Justice Fanfiction, SO: the hats come first. Meaning updates might be a bit slow - once a week, maybe? (But don't hold me to that! ^^)**

**Yes, Bruce was OOC. :( I hate writing him cause he's so _cold _and I love Daddy!Bats. Which is, sadly, rare. So in my story it's UN-RARE! :)**

**Anyways, thank you SO. MUCH. To everyone who reviewed/favorited "Fanfiction". But to everyone who put it on story alert: um, sorry. It's a one-shot. ';)**

**Speaking of which, someone brought to my attention that the whole idea of characters reading fanfiction has already been done in other fandoms. So I guess I can't claim it as my own idea…*sigh* ;)**

**PS: Sorry if being shot in his "upper thigh" was confusing. Let's just say, for now, that the villains got smart about something. It's important that Dick didn't get shot in the chest for the plot to get past the first chapter. **

**And to end this very long author's note: **

**See this button? Right here down there? It's my favorite button and anyone who pushes it gets FREE virtual cookies. And a shoutout! :D**


	2. Wally to the Rescue?

**Don't get excited about a longer chapter, peeps. Nearly 500 words of it is responding to reviews at the bottom. XD In the meantime, ENJOY!**

Dick felt the bullet pierce his thigh and he involuntarily let out a startled gasp, going limp in the man's grasp. Hopefully it hadn't hit any major arteries, or he'd be dead in minutes.

The other children began screaming, eyes wide with fear. The gunman shot the ceiling. "Shut up!" he growled.

Too frightened to do anything else, they obeyed.

The leader's apparent henchmen were two large, bumbling men who Dick decided to nickname Fat and Fatter. Not very original, but c'mon - he had a bullet wound. It was the best he could do at the moment, considering the circumstances.

Fighting the pain of the injury, he glared at their leader. His eyes were odd - one green, the other almost tawny gold, and his nose was crooked above thin lips.

"This'll teach you some respect!" he snarled, smashing his gun above Dick's head. Everything went black.

Kid Flash was practically vibrating as he followed Flash down the long hallway, mentally noting everything about Gotham Academy. It was so different than Central City High - no dents in the lockers, no skid marks on the walls…he doubted there was even any graffiti in the bathroom stalls.

He heard another gunshot, breaking him from his thoughts.

_Right. Now is not the time to be distracted. Classroom full of kids being held hostage, _he thought, mentally chiding himself. Flash nodded to him, and they sprinted down the hall.

Flash stopped outside the busted out door, peeking around the corner and taking in the situation. Unconscious, injured kid, three madmen, 24 other students and one teacher being held hostage.

Dashing in there and taking the guns was certainly an option, but definitely didn't guarantee everyone's safety.

On the other hand, if he didn't do something soon, someone could be killed.

Basically, a lose-lose situation. He glanced over at Kid Flash, whose green eyes were wide with nervousness. He'd probably be a nervous wreck if he knew the raven-haired kid was his best friend.

He briefly listened to the negotiator trying to bargain with the gunmen - unsuccessfully, of course. As if anything in Gotham was that simple.

The apparent "leader" had Dick by the scruff of the neck, carelessly swinging him around as he made wild hand gestures. His back was to the door, talking to the police, but his two minions seemed to be making surveillance sweeps - as much as you could in a 7th grade math classroom, anyway.

Flash ducked back behind the door, lips pursed, at a loss at what to do. _Okay, okay…what would Batman do_?

_Batman _would slip into the room unnoticed, take out the guards in matter of seconds, and the whole ordeal would be over within two minutes. Taking out three gunmen was probably an _easy _task compared to insane villains like the Joker.

He pulled Kid Flash back a bit to discuss what to do. Maybe a teenage mind would come up with sometimes creative. "Any ideas?" he whispered.

Kid Flash smirked and nodded once, and then he was gone.

Kid Flash zoomed into the classroom, using himself as a bowling ball to take out the two huge men. They went down with a crash. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," he muttered to himself, making a u-turn to head for the leader. Some of the kids still cowering gave a weak, relieved cheer.

Despite all this happening in one second flat, the crazed man already had turned around with a gun pressed to the kid's head. _Stop calling him the kid! _Kid Flash growled to himself. _He has a name. Dick Grayson. _

He skidded to a stop, hands raised.

The gunman glared at him, a wild look in his eyes. "One step more and he's toast," he snarled, narrowing his eyes.

Flash stepped into the room, arms also raised. "You don't want to do that, buddy," he said softly. "There's over twenty squad cars outside, all filled with police officers. You'd be dead in seconds."

"What do I care?" the gunman growled, pressing the barrel of the gun harder against the boy's temple. His hands were shaking and his eyes bloodshot, making Flash wonder if maybe he was high, or drunk. How a drunk person would manage to enter Gotham Academy, one of the buildings in Gotham with the highest security available was beyond him, though.

The gunman started walking for the door, dragging Dick with the gun still pressed to his head. "You make one move and he dies," he hissed, slowly backing towards the open door.

A few moments after the gunman left, the teacher slowly rose, shaking slightly, eyes wide. One by one the children followed her example, but Flash and his protégé didn't even see.

They were already racing after the gunman.

Commissioner Gordon frowned at the negotiator ran around the corner of the school. "Any luck?" he asked grimly.

The man shook his head. "Seems Flash and whoever his sidekick is distracted him," he muttered. "He left the window."

At that moment the heavy glass doors of Gotham Academy swung open, revealing the gunman dragging an unconscious Richard. Every police officer immediately pulled out their guns, but the madman barked, "Wait!"

He brought the gun to Dick's head. "Let me pass or the kid's gone."

The officers glanced at Commissioner Gordon, who clenched his fists. He closed his eyes for half a second. "Stand down," he told them. Slowly the police lowered their guns.

The gunman smirked, revealing yellowed, chipped teeth. "That's better." He starting inching for a dirty white passenger van.

Dick stirred, blinking several times before wincing. His abductor pressed the gun harder to his temple, making him cringe.

A black-haired, broad shouldered man pushed his way to the front of the crowd. "Stop! Take me instead," he demanded.

The gunman narrowed his eyes, staring at the man. "Bruce Wayne, eh?"

"Yes, that's me," Bruce answered, taking a single step forward, hands raised. "C'mon. We'll trade."

The gunman wildly shook his head. "No way. This is some kinda trick."

"It isn't; I promise," Bruce said quietly. "Now just let the boy go."

"No!" the gunman yelled, opening the back of the passenger van. "Your word means nothing!" A man with a large brown overcoat that had been loitering nearby jumped into the driver's seat. The gunman barked something to him and the van roared to life.

"And if _anyone _tries to follow us or stop us before 5 o' clock tonight, he's dead," he growled, before roaring off.

At that moment Kid Flash and Flash sprinted from the school, but one look at Bruce's face and they knew there was nothing they could do.

Dick Grayson had been kidnapped.

**I KNOW! I ENDED WITH ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! Why oh why does it seem I can never end a chapter without one? Grrrr, me…**

**OH. MY. GOSH. 18 reviews for one chapter? I LOVE YOU ALL! FREE VIRTUAL COOKIES FOR EVERYONE! **

**And now, shoutouts: **

**Juliet Claire: Thank you! The hats are going great!**

**Abbycat93: Thank you! And, yeah, in this KF doesn't know Rob's secret ID. I think, technically, he does in the comics, but…yeah ^^ (I like you're ad-dick-ted joke, BTW ;)**

**Just-Another-Fanfiction-Freak: Thank ya! **

**Momorulz: Haha, don't worry! ;) (Or maybe you shoud…O.O) **

**Penny Toughgirl: Haha, glad you liked that part! I just always assumed Batman didn't like Kid Flash because they're SO DIFFERENT. Then again, Batman secretly respects Flash (who's Wally) in the Justice League series, so who knows? ****J**

**Scotty1609: Here it is! :D**

**Cooliochick5: Thank you!**

**Angelina Aintithennel: Thank you! Me too, I scrounge Fanfiction just to find DaddyBats stories ;) **

**ReaperofDarkness: Thank ya! As for the "conscious and kicking the gunman's butt" part, I'm hopefully going to get a scene in there somewhere with that lol. Next chapter, maybe? ;) **

**Soulstealer8: Thank you! As for the "calling half the Justice League" part, it was meant to mean he didn't call all of them at once just to rescue Dick, it was just - he called Wonder Woman, she couldn't make it, Superman, he couldn't make it, and so on until he got to Flash and Kid Flash. Sorry, I tend to get ahead of myself when I'm writing sometimes. *blush* **

**Or-chan: Thank you! :D**

**Stargazer128: I LOVE KF TOO! :D *showers you with virtual cookies* ;)**

**Geek179: Yeah, I tend to dislike stories where Dick dies. : ( As for the "rest of the people", the others might make small guest appearances, but…they won't be a main part of the story. : ) **

**Ivee Waterlily: *whew* Good! When I look at other people's stories it seems like they upload 5,000 word chapters every other day. XD Glad you like the suspense! **

**Mr. Hood: Does one week later count as "now"? ;) Glad you're enjoying it!**

**Jimmy Candlestick: Haha, yeah. Even I, looking at it now, kinda cringe at the DaddyBats overload. : ) **

**Jukori: I am FLOORED! That is the longest review I have ever received! Um…yeah, sorry about the "intruder alert" part. *cringe* I tend to get ahead of myself in writing sometimes, and besides that I'm home schooled and have never even been INSIDE a middle school. :P But it's mainly my own ignorance that made it so lame, lol. I've never even had a fire drill. . Anyways…I messed up a lot, didn't it? I'M SORRY!****I TOTALLY agree! Dick is just too darn cute to die! (Plus he's my age in the YJ 'verse ^^). I made you thrilled? I'm honored! Thank you so much for your honest, critiquing review. It's always refreshing to get one that doesn't just say "update NOW". :D (Not that I don't appreciate those, other reviewers, it's just…ya know…) Thank you so much!**

**FudoTwin17: Here ya go! Hope you like it! ;) **


	3. Benny's

**24 REVIEWS FOR ONE SINGLE CHAPTER? I WANT TO CRY WITH JOY RIGHT NOW AND HUG YOU ALL! FREE VIRTUAL COOKIES FOR ALL!**

**Seriously, my writing is NOT that good...why on earth is is generating such a response? O.O **

**Disclaimer: Nope, piggybank's STILL starving...**

**(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)**

"How could you let them get away?"

Batman's 6-foot-something frame seemed much larger as he towered over Flash, Kid Flash hiding behind his cringing uncle. "Bats, we tried. We couldn't risk Dick's safety."

Batman's fists clenched. "I trusted you with the safety of that boy, and now he's in the hands of some psycho! You can circle the globe in five seconds flat, yet can't defeat three gunmen?"

Flash took a step away from the most vicious 'Bat-glare', as Wally had dubbed it, he'd ever seen. "I really, really tried, Bats. We both did," he insisted, indicating Kid Flash behind him. "I'm sorry. We'll do all we can to get him back for you. We won't let you down again."

Batman didn't answer, just turned on his heel towards the bank of computers on Mt. Justice's far wall. Several files were open of different criminals with dozens of different aliases, their information scrolling quickly down the screen.

Flash shot his nephew a look. "C'mon, Kid, let's go refuel at Benny's," he suggested, inching for the doorway. In other words, _let's let Bats cool off for a while. _

"Good idea," Kid Flash said with a relieved smile. He didn't understand why Batman was so upset about this one boy. He was just some random kid, wasn't he? Sure, he was the ward of Gotham's biggest benefactor, but really - when it came down to it, he was just one of the thousands of children abducted every year.

With a shrug, Kid Flash followed his uncle out of Mount Justice to make the 12-second sprint to Central City, Missouri. They skidded to a stop outside their favorite ice cream parlor, Benny's, and the citizens inside cheerfully greeted Flash and his 'sidekick'.

"Not sidekick," he promptly informed the middle-aged woman working the counter. "_Partner_."

"Of course, honey," she said with a light southern drawl and a wink. He frowned, but all was forgotten as she handed him two triple-scoops of chocolate. "It's on the house."

"Thanks, Hannah," Flash said with his most charming smile, then joined Kid Flash at the bar stools. He winked at a group of teenagers in a nearby booth. "Sammy, Lynn, Jamie, Alex - how's that science project coming along?"

"Great, Flash!" one of them answered. "Thanks for your help!"

"Anytime!" With a final smile Flash turned towards his nephew, the grin fading. In a much quieter voice, he said, "I know you're confused-"

"Well, _yeah_!" Kid Flash exclaimed, absentmindedly licking his melting ice cream. "Why's Batman so concerned about this stupid 7th grader who couldn't even stop himself from being shot?"

Beneath his cowl, Flash raised an eyebrow. "He has his reasons, I'm sure," he answered. "He has a heart in there somewhere."

Kid Flash snorted. "Yeah, right. Have you ever _seen _him train Robin? All he ever says is '_again_', over and over!"

Flash sighed, deciding that this, indeed, was a fruitless argument. "Then how about we don't focus on the _why_, but the _how_?" he suggested. "And the _who_? Who would want to kidnap Richard Grayson?"

Kid Flash finished his first cone, chin resting in his palm. "He probably has lots of enemies - in fact, his daddy'll probably get a ransom note soon, won't he?"

Flash shrugged, considering hid nephew's remark. "Well, it would seem like that, wouldn't it?" he mused. "Though they'd have to have contacts, wouldn't they? There's guards swarming Gotham Academy, but no one knew about the men until the intruder alarm went off."

"So they either had someone take out the guards, the guards were bribed, or…they were never real guards in the first place, just bad guys," Kid Flash reasoned.

"Probably. Batman didn't tell us if the guards were taken out, though," Flash said, shoving the last of his cone in his mouth.

Kid Flash snorted. "He seemed to have other things on his mind."

Flash nodded with a small smile. "Alright. Let's get back to Mount Justice and see if Batman's found anything. Race you there, Kid!"

In an instant he was off. Kid Flash, always up for a challenge, shoved the last two scoops of ice cream down his throat. He was caught up with Flash, who suddenly burst out laughing at his nephew's expression. "What's wrong, Kid?" he asked over chuckles.

"Cranium seizure!" Kid Flash squeaked, and Flash just smirked.

**(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)**

Batman stared at the different files on the screen, rubbing at his tired eyes - but he wouldn't stop. No, not until he found Dick.

He'd managed to follow the van's tire tracks to Gotham Harbor, where they'd presumably gotten in a boat - virtually untraceable. The passenger van they'd escaped in, left on the docks, turned out to be stolen from a local pizza company. Just another dead end.

He wearily rubbed a hand over his face, feeling the beginnings of a 5 o' clock shadow. All the guards at his son's school, who had mysteriously shown up just as the van was making its escape, claimed to have been drugged with chloroform, and had been unconscious since. The gullible, stupid police believed them. Batman didn't.

Interrogation could wait, though, until the guards thought they were safe at home, in bed, and then Batman would slide from the shadows.

Pursing his lips, he replayed the security footage from cameras at Gotham Academy, zooming in on the leader's face. It didn't match any of his records - and neither did his two lackeys. They looked like plain 'ol, run of the mill, gangester/drug dealers.

But they'd broken into one of Gotham's most heavily guarded buildings. Obviously, they weren't.

They had accomplices somewhere. Even someone as dumb as Flash could work that one out.

The question, now, was why. Ransom was always, always a possibility, but something about that assumption just didn't seem correct.

_Recognized: Flash, Zero-Four, Kid Flash, B-Zero-Three._

Batman inwardly groaned as the two speedsters' voices echoed down the long hallways and wide, spacious areas. The precious half-hour of silence without them had been wonderful.

"So, Bats, found anything?" Flash asked with a grin, pretending to understand all the information on the screens.

"No."

"Oh. Well, in that case, I guess Wally and I are just going to stay here. We can keep you company," he offered. Kid Flash cringed at the thought of keeping Batman _company. _

"No."

Flash visibly drooped with a sigh. "Alright, then, have it your way. Kid, head on back to Central. It's almost six and Iris is going to have our hides if we're late to dinner again."

A bright grin broke out on Wally's features. "Okay! Are you coming?"

Flash nodded. "Yeah, just a second." Kid Flash hesitated, as if waiting for his uncle, but one look at Batman's scowl and he was gone.

Once he was sure he was at least halfway to Missouri, Flash turned to Batman. "Bruce, you know we'll find him, right?" he said quietly. "I mean, he's a strong kid. He can survive anything."

Batman didn't respond except for a barely noticeable nod, which, to Flash, meant _yeah, I know, Allen. _

Flash patted Batman's back with a grin. "I know you do, buddy. Just checking."

With that, he left.

**(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)**

"On your knees, runt," the masked man growled. Dick had no choice but to comply, his leg still throbbing. It had stopped bleeding, thank goodness, but without proper medical care it would get infected really quickly.

In the time he had been dropped off in this dirty, rotten place, to now, it soon became clear that the three men who had actually done the kidnapping were just pawns in this game.

If only he knew what game they were playing…

He had no idea where he was. They had blindfolded him in the passenger van, but he knew they'd gotten on a boat, gone at least eight miles, and had dropped him here.

'Here' was a huge, spacious, cylinder-shaped room with catwalk like pathways spiraling upwards to a set of double doors marked _lab. _

It was dark, dusty, and reeked of cigarettes and chemicals.

He looked up the man holding him captive. His hands were tied behind his back with thick twine. If only they left him alone for a couple minutes, he might be able to get to his utility belt, disguised as a pack of gum, in his back pocket, get a Birdarang, and escape.

So far, no such luck.

Men - and perhaps women, it was impossible to tell in the dim lighting - were walking to and from the lab, some carrying parcels and packages. Everyone was wearing identical black ski masks, black leggings, and black long-sleeved t-shirts with a white skull-like design on the front.

After twenty minutes, high heels clicked into the room and paused in front of Dick. Long, sharp fingernails lifted his chin and another mask-covered face examined him, appraising him head to toe.

"How is this one, m'lady?" his guard asked with a slight bow.

There was silence for several long, tense moments, and then Richard could see a smirk grow on the woman's face.

"He's perfect."

**Um...good? Bad? Ugly? **

**Yeah, it's horrible. . I've had the most awful writer's block for a while, but forced myself to sit down and write this after watching four episodes of YJ in a row. (One more week until an actual NEW one!) **

**Edit: The first review asked me if Dick was "sold"...he wasn't! *thinks* Well, he kinda was, in a way, but not in the, ah, "nasty" way *blushes* It'll all make sense, I promise! :O**

**A couple things about this chapter: **

**1. Flash knowing all those people's names (ice cream lady, teenagers) is based off of that one Justice League episode where he knows everyone *thinks* I can't remember what it's called, and that Flash is techincally Wally, but...yeah. :)**

**2. From what I've read, Central City is somewhere around Kansas and Missouri. I just went ahead and made it Missouri, since that's where I live XD **

**3. Is the last chapter too...terrible? I was trying to make it vauge and creepy...O.O **

**4. "Cranium seizure!" is based off of a comic I read on dA and is another word for brain freeze...as soon as I find it, I will credit it, but until then: it's not mine!**

**Anyways, no review responses this time :P I had them all written out, forgot to save it, and accidentally closed it. It took me over half an hour and I really, really didn't feel like doing it again since it's getting late. So here's a HUMONGOUS THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED, FAVORITED, OR PUT ME ON AUTHOR/STORY ALERT! I can't thank you enough and still can't believe that people are actually loving it. *shakes head* It's a mystery...**

**Oh - one last thing...a couple people pointed out that Flash could've easily taken out the three guys in the blink of an eye. I was rereading it after it was posted and was just like "WTHeck was I THINKING?" *facepalm* I should've known that. I DID know that; I have no idea why I did that. Grrrr...**

**This next update might take a while...co-op (it's basically a 1-day school for homeschoolers) started and I have a knitting class that I'm supposed to knit a 7x9 'swatch' for each week, and I am no speed knitter...:P It'll probably be updated by October, though. **

**Alright, I'll stop talking now. G'night, everyone! Until next time! :D**


	4. Prey

**I don't know what to say, guys. I'm so sorry for such a slow update. School's really killing me - especially Spanish. I'm flunking it, my dad's mad at me, I have 2 projects due Tuesday at co-op, I'm exhausted, my mom's stressed, **_**I'm **_**stressed, and have officially decided I am never going to set foot in college. No way. Culinary school it is. **

**Anyways, I'm still amazed at how many reviews this is generating, but a kind reviewer (*cough* spymage *cough*) said she's going to come to my house and slap me if I keep saying my writing's terrible. I'm sorry…I'm still recovering from depression and suicidal-ness…and my self-esteem isn't great. I'm sorry if I annoyed anyone with (repeatedly) saying how bad my writing was. =( **

**Anyways. Onto the story. It's kinda a filler, which I apologize for, but…here ya go. =) **

Batman stared, for what seemed like the 100th time, at the three kidnappers. He'd managed to match their faces with different gangs and drug rings around Gotham, but they seemed unconnected.

One, Marcus Anderson, was just a henchman for a drug ring he'd busted just last week. Their leader was in jail, but the cops were working to pick off all of his pawns.

The second, Rudolf Carson, was a small gang leader's second-in-command. There was nothing too big on his criminal record till now, just vandalism in high school, small robberies…

The third, who, from the security recordings appeared to be the 'leader' of the three was the most unremarkable. He had absolutely nothing on his record - not even a speeding ticket.

And that, precisely, is why Batman had reason to suspect that he was the most dangerous.

After all, _no one _had such a clean record. There should've been _something_. A parking ticket, some stupid little thing from years ago when he probably would've been just like any other teenage boy - doing dumb things like hilltopping, or shooting at a neighbor's cows with a BB gun…

His record had been wiped, for whatever reason. Even hours of hacking hadn't brought up any erased files, so it had been an inside job. Someone at the police station had done it. Anyone outside couldn't have wiped the record so cleanly.

Pursing his lips, he took out the flash drive from the computer containing every piece of information he'd dug up, pocketing it in his utility belt and shutting off the computer.

It was time to visit the scene of the crime.

(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)

He'd had worse injuries, but still. Bullet wounds hurt.

After the woman had…_inspected _him, for lack of a better word, they'd knocked him out with some kind of drug. He'd woken up here.

_Here _was a medium-sized, clear box. It appeared to be in some type of laboratory, which was most likely what was inside the set of double doors he'd seen earlier. Technicians, the only ones not wearing the creepy skull design, rushed around in white lab coats, not sparing him a second glance.

There were strange machines lining all four walls, all being monitored by skull-people with clipboards. They were completely still, except when scribbling something on the paper, and if he could see their faces behind the ski masks he'd guess they were perfectly neutral.

_Almost like they're brainwashed…_

He let his imagination run wild about different scenarios, ranging from ideas about secret cults to zombies, to get his mind off the throbbing pain in his thigh. It was getting harder to ignore. You'd think that, for whatever they wanted him for, they'd want him, ya know, _alive_?

Geez.

He heard the familiar sound of high heels and turned slightly to watch her speak quietly with one of the guys in lab coats. He took the opportunity to study her as best as he could - it might come in handy, right?

She had a thin, but muscular, figure. The only uncovered part of her - her hands - showed tanned skin and fingernails painted black. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could see the end of a black braid sticking out from beneath her ski mask. Her eyes appeared brown, but it was hard to tell in the shadows of the mask's eye holes.

That was as far as he got. The woman slunk up to the box, laying her hand against the plastic. He glared at her, silent. If she wasn't wearing a mask, he had the sneaking suspicion she'd be smirking.

"Such pretty blue eyes," she said, voice thick with an accent he thought sounded German. "A rarity in the Romani people, yes?"

His gaze went steely. "How would you know that?" he asked finally, curiosity getting the better of him.

She tilted her head. "You think I would be uneducated on our prey?" she asked, as if actually shocked that he'd ask such a question. He narrowed his eyes.

"Prey? How am I your _prey_?"

She laughed daintily, then gestured to the skull design on her shirt. "You see this?"

"Duh."

"It is a symbol of the kill," she explained, ignoring his tone. "Those who wish to join our…_group _must make their first kill. It is in a…controlled environment, but still poses a challenge. Once they kill the prey, they gain the symbol, and they are welcomed in. The hunt is in two weeks."

Understanding dawned. "I'd be a pretty easy kill," he said with a snort. "Why _me_? Or did you just pick any random kid?"

"Oh, I think we both know that you are not just a 'a random kid'," she said with a chuckle, and his heart froze. Did she know? How did she figure it out? Is she-

"You were a Flying Grayson."

Though pain pierced his heart at the mention of his former home, he relaxed. She didn't know.

"You're an acrobat," she continued. Her eyes trailed over his toned arms. "And you are quite muscled."

"So? That's pretty much the description of any acrobat or gymnast. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the biggest guy out there. Plus - I'm 13. Why not get an adult?"

She pressed her manicured hands to the box. "You see, that is the point. The hunt has been getting easier. At first we used criminals - big ones. Murderers, rapists. Morally, this was easy enough for most. Grown men, who had already been convicted of horrible crimes." She paused, considering him. "Word spread that you only had to kill criminals to join. So, we moved onto innocent men and sometimes women.

"Still, it was too easy. Many would pass the hunt, yet when given a task to kill someone else, would refuse. We worked to come up with a formula to bypass the natural conscience every person has, but it has failed. Our participants in experiments ended up emotionless. Good for some things, but…" She paused. "They felt no _joy _for killing. They had no fear. No way to know when to retreat." She sighed. "We've lost a lot of assassins that way."

She considered him for so long he shifted under her gaze, chewing on his lower lip. "Last week we decided to move onto innocent children as prey." He could imagine a smile growing on her face. "Congratulations. You're the first one."

"Lucky me," he muttered, leg stretched out in front of him. She continued to stare at him. "_What?"_

"You aren't afraid," she said simply. "Interesting. Most would be terrified right now."

"Well, you know, Bruce probably has all of Gotham looking for me," he explained quickly. He couldn't even _begin _to let her suspect something. "He'll find me soon. He always does."

She shook her head, beginning to walk away, but stopped and turned. "By the way, we need you in top shape for the hunt. I'll send someone to take care of your leg."

She clicked away, disappearing through the set of double doors.

**Oh my stinkin goodness. A filler :P I'm sorry…but at least it's an update, right? *nervous chuckle* **

**I'm sorry if there's any mistakes. It's midnight and I can barely see straight, much less type straight. I'm so sorry; I know I said I'd do review responses, but I'm pooped, guys. **

**Oh…buutttt before I leave: WOO HOO WE TOTALLY KICKED YOUR BUTTS LAST NIGHT RANGERS! (And who cares if you won tonight? WE WON THE FIRST GAME! GO CARDINALS!) **

**Okay…now I'm done. Hasta la vista! **


	5. Getting Closer

**Thank you for all the reviews! You have no idea how happy it makes me =) Seriously. I was actually crying once (of course, it WAS that time of the month, but...) **

**OH! I turned 14 =) Now when people ask how old I am they won't ask "then why are you a freshman...?" anymore. YAY! That happens at least five times every week at church. Seriously.**

**I hate Zatanna. That's all I'm going to say right now. **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Young Justice, do you really think my wardrobe would be from Goodwill? **

After searching every corner of this..._box _he was in, Dick limped back to the center of his cage and flopped down with a sigh. There were seams around the top, but they wouldn't budge.

And besides, even if he did manage to escape, how was he planning on getting passed the dozen-some people in lab coats, plus all the skull-wearing guys downstairs.

He stared at his wound, lips pursed. No one had come to bandage it yet, and it looked like it was starting to fester. The edges of it were bright pink.

He heard the click of heels and turned to glare at the woman. He wished he knew her name so he could just stop thinking of her as "the woman".

He suddenly realized she was carrying a black bag - like the ones doctors used in old movies. She pressed on small control panel by the cage, and the top slid back. Dick's eyes trailed over the top. It was about eight or nine feet high, but if he wasn't injured he was pretty sure he could get out. He opted for glaring as she jumped, grabbed the top of the box, and swung her body over, landing easily in her heels on the other side. She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Am I supposed to be impressed?" he snorted. "I could do the same thing if I wasn't hurt."

"Of course you could," she said smoothly, dropping her bag and kneeling by it. She opened the clasp and pulled out a small tube of ointment.

"_You're _going to fix it?" he asked, slightly shocked.

"Well, yes. Surprised?" she asked with a grin, tearing open a plastic bag with medical gloves open with her teeth.

"Well, you don't exactly seem like the _gentle _type," he explained, leaning back on his hands.

"Oh, trust me," she said, slapping a bandage on a little harden than neccesary. He winced. "I'm not."

(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)

Kyle Wilson whistled as he walked home after being interogatted by the Gotham Police. Except for Commissioner Gordon, who was more focused on searching the crime scene for DNA than questioning supposedly drugged guards, were so stupid. They didn't even begin to suspect that anything was out of place.

He turned down an alleyway and glanced up. His eyes swept over what looked like two glowing white eyes. He did a startled double-take, but they were gone.

_You're paranoid, _he thought. _Who's going to want to rob a school guard? _

Nevertheless, he walked a little faster, nervously swinging his keys around his finger. He could see the lights of his apartment in the distance. No doubt his innoncent wife was worried sick.

He was nearly there when a black-clad hand suddenly snaked from around the corner, slamming him against the wall. He barely had time to take a breath before the two white eyes he'd seen earlier were suddenly in his face.

_Batman_, he realized, heart freezing.

"A child was abducted from Gotham Academy today," he snarled, fingers twisted in the front of his shirt. "_Where were you_?"

"I..." He struggled to find his voice. He thought himself as a brave man, but then again he'd never had Batman in his face. "I was drugged."

The man's eyes narrowed. "We both know that's not true. _Where's Dick Grayson?_"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kyle gasped out, swallowing thickly.

"You should know I don't like to play games," Batman growled, shoving him harder into the wall. His head collided with brick and he saw stars.

"I don't know! I swear!" he exclaimed, trembling. "They came to us! Paid us ten grand to ignore them!" Shoved harder. "Some kind of cult thing! A lady came to me! Ski mask! Black clothing with a white skull! German accent!"

_Coward, _he thought, furious with himself, struggling to stop shaking under that harsh glare.

"That _everything_?" Batman asked menacingly, balling up a fist.

"That's everything! I swear!" he promised, voice cracking at the end. Batman threw him to the dusty ground, into a pool of light from a streetlamp. When he looked up again, he was gone.

(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)

Commissioner Gordon stood by his window, sipping coffee and staring at the lights of Gotham from his office, wondering just where Dick Grayson could be. They usually had a random note by now.

"It's not ransom."

He was used to it enough now that he didn't jump. His gaze slid sideways to the shadow standing in his doorway. "How do you know?"

"Questioned a guard."

Gordon knew enough to know that he probably hadn't just 'questioned'. "And?"

"He spilled. A woman from some kind of cult paid each guard ten thousand to ignore them when they came. Black clothing, ski mask, white skull."

Gordon set his mug down on his desk. "A cult? What does a cult want with a kid like Grayson?" A dozen scenarios raced through his mind. Who knows what this cult did? Ancient, satanatic human sacrifices? Torture?

"I don't know," Batman answered after a moment. He sounded angrier than normal, but for some reason when Grayson was kidnapped or otherwise harmed, it seemed personal. He was connected to him, somehow...

"The three men who took him. Marcus Anderson, Rudolf Carson, Paul Deen. Deen has nothing. Not even a ticket. I searched; it's been wiped from the inside. The other two have small charges."

Gordon sighed. "With this force, that's not surprising." He rubbed a hand over his face. When he looked up again, Batman was gone.

(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)

It was three in the morning, and Batman still hadn't found anything. He had nothing in his records about a cult with black clothing and black skulls.

Paul Deen. He'd dug up his address, but his house seemed abandoned, for at least six months. Everything seemed normal, but there was absolutely no evidence. No stray strand of hair in the bed, no toothbrush in the trash can, no half-eaten food in the pantry...

Except for one thing. On an end table in the living room was an empty photo album, except for the last page. In the corner was a tiny white skull written in black Sharpie. Under it in letters so tiny he needed a magnifying glass to read it was _DG. _

Dick's initals. Coincidence? Scowling, he grabbed the album and jumped back into the Batmobile.

The other two men's houses had the exact same thing - except under DG were _P1_.

The most logical answer was pier 1, but that seemed too obvious and easy. He clenched his fists, scowling. Nothing in Gotham was that easy.

(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)(R)

**Heh, heh. Um...another filler? *blush* I'm so sorry...**

**I don't have time to do review responses...which I said I'm going to do for two chapters (I'm sorry!) but to spymage: I would just like to say a special thank you. That was more encouraging than you could possibly know. =) **

**PS - I realized in the last chapter I said "he'd have something on his record, like hilltopping and shooting a neighbor's cows with BBs or something". Heh. I live in a small farming town, so that's pretty much what the teenage boys do. I'm not sure what 'normal' teenagers would do, so...yeah. Sorry!**

**And a huge thank you to everyone else who reviewed, favorited, or alerted! It means a lot to me, so thanks! **

**And if you even want to read my rants: **

**I hate Zatanna. A lot. Jesse McCartney (who plays Robin) CLEARLY said Robin would NOT have a love interest. Grrr...**

**And it's been awhile but: ST. LOUIS CARDS ARE VICTORIOUS! WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! =D But how COULD YOU, Pujols? You just won a world series with the Cardinals...how could you go to the Angels? ='( **


	6. Patterson and 1st

**SO, I was thinking about Christmas, and how long ago it was, and then I was like WOAH! I haven't updated since BEFORE CHRISTMAS! So I buckled down and stayed up late, to bring to the next chapter! **

**Plus I'm going into Young Justice withdrawl. Not even kidding. **

**By the way, do you ever get inspiration for about ten million other stories…EXCEPT the one you post? I sure do. Since the last chapter, I filled up one and a half notebooks with YJ stories, plus I have 75 documents open on my computer right now…all YJ. Not even kidding. **

**So. Yeah. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

Dick blinked as he slowly awoke, absentmindedly listening to the click-clack of a computer's keyboard and pens scratching on paper.

He'd given into sleep about…well, he didn't actually know, but it seemed to be at least a couple hours. He'd fought it for what seemed like ages, but decided his efforts were fruitless and unnecessary, so he allowed himself a rest.

Besides, when he made his escape, he needed to be in tip-top shape.

Speaking of which, his wound was healing incredibly fast. Whatever she'd rubbed on it didn't appear to be the basic, run-of-the-mill antibiotic ointment. It reminded him slightly of bacta, that fast-healing medicine he read about in Star Wars comic books.

He slowly gained his feet and took an experimental step forward. A slight tinge of pain, and the bandage was crusty with dried blood, but it wasn't horrible by any means. At this rate, he should be healed enough to escape by the end of the week.

_End of the week. When is that, exactly? _

If there was one thing he hated about being abducted - besides the obvious, of course - it was the lack of knowledge of the passage of time. He could've been here a day, or it might've been three, for all he knew.

He hadn't seen the high-heeled woman since she'd bandaged his thigh, and honestly, watching the emotionless techs was slightly unnerving. He wondered if they could be helped once he got out of here.

Sitting cross-legged, he pursed his lips. They'd taken his disguised-as-a-pack-of-gum utility belt and tossed it in a garbage chute. Awesome.

But even though he'd never been a Boy Scout, Batman had engraved in his mind since day one to _always be prepared. _

They hadn't taken his shoes.

His black loafers seemed normal enough, when he was thrown in with the rich kids at Gotham Academy. But, of course, they weren't.

The guards had searched him for weapons, but hadn't found the small knife hidden in the sole of his right shoe. With his backs turned to the techs, pretending to mess with his bandages, he slowly peeled back the sole, revealing the sharp metal of his knife.

With a small grin he slipped the knife up his sleeve, and patted the sole back down. Bruce had modified them so the adhesive stuck unless it was peeled back, so unless you were really looking, they didn't look tampered with.

He heard the click of high heels and grinned. Just in time.

The top popped open as she touched the control panel, and she vaulted over the edge again. "Alright. Time to see what you're made of. Training begins in five minutes." She pulled out a pair of heavy-duty shackles.

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, now, no need for those. I'll be a good boy."

The brown eyes bore into him, looking amused in the shadows of the ski mask. "Just a precaution, child." As she stepped forward, he sprung into action.

The knife slid into his hand and he attacked, aiming for her arm. He didn't want to kill her.

With a small smile she sidestepped, and he, wound still bothering him, stumbled slightly. He regained his footing to see her just standing there. "Well? Is that it?"

With a scowl he charged again. Nothing too precise, to trace him to Robin…here, he was Dick Grayson, trained in the rudimentary basics of self-defense.

She batted his knife-wielding arm away as if it were a fly, and his thoughts momentarily drifted into wondering if she used some type of steroids to make her stronger.

Those thoughts scattered as a fist collided with his nose.

He stumbled back as liquid began to gush from the injured appendage. The woman didn't look exerted at all, just held out the shackles again. "Now, the easy way, or shall we try the hard way again?"

Dick exploded into action, ignoring his throbbing nose as he aimed a kick at the crook of her knees. She leapt gracefully over the slightly sluggish kick, and a high heel slammed into his solar plexus.

He fell against the wall, hands clasped the forming bruise, glaring.

"I don't wish to hurt you," she said, slowly walking towards him. She picked up the knife from where he'd dropped it, and slipped it into a near-invisible black pocket on her hip. "But you _are _coming with me."

Scowling, he allowed her to shackle his wrists together.

Just this once.

_P1._

_DG._

_Skull. _

_P1._

_DG._

_Skull. _

Batman angrily clenched his fist, slamming it down on the metal plating of the Batcave's computer. There was no _pattern. _No _connection. _

He'd tried every code he knew. Nothing made sense. What did they want _Dick _for, if not ransom? What did a _cult _want with a 13-year-old boy?

Sighing, he pulled his cowl down and rubbed his temples. He'd had no sleep for two nights straight, searching for anything, anything _at all _to help him find Dick.

He figured they had a base, where most if not all of their members stayed, if the unlived-in houses were any indication. The woman the guard had told him about was probably high-up in their system.

As a last-ditch effort he slipped one of the skull designs under his microscope. Maybe there were some skin particles…

He did a double take. The skulls weren't made with a single black line, but rather _words. _He quickly typed the words into the computer.

_Children. Test. Initiation. Grayson. Kill. Accepted. _

The "DG" was also made up of words.

_Richard. Gotham Academy. Second floor. 7__th__ grade. Black hair. Small. _

He shoved the "P1" under the microscope.

_Location. Patterson. 1__st__. Under. Cellar. _

He shoved the microscope aside and brought up a map of Gotham, fingers flying.

_Patterson and 1__st__. _

The two streets crisscrossed in a rather deserted part of Gotham, right along the city limits. The only thing there was a terribly old house the government kept saying they'd tear down, but never did.

Without a second thought, he leapt into the Batmobile, praying to a God he'd never spoken to before that he was right.

**So, um…yeah. I updated. It's another filler. XP I hate it, but as you can tell, the action'll start soon. Did everything make sense in this chapter? It's late, and I'm having a hard time telling left from right at this moment…O.0 **

**No review responses…again. I know! I've been promising to do them for three (four?) chapters now, but I usually upload chapters late at night, so…yeah. **

**I'm not confident about this chapter, but I won't go on like I normally do. I swear. **

**As a side note, how was your Christmas? I got a sketchbook and TEA! Yes, hot tea. Hot peppermint tea, my favorite! =D **

**Well. I gotta go now. I'm falling asleep right now. **

**Give me an honest opinion? All you authors know how amazing it feels to get a review. =) **

**Till next time, cheers!**


	7. Wonder Woman and Training

**Whew. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. First, my great-grandma fell and broke 5 ribs, and now she's in the hospital with pneumonia. And she's…not doing well. =/ She's very much loved and has the heart and mind of a twenty-five year old, so please keep her in your prayers. **

**Then, I got bronchitis. Not too bad. Details in my new one-shot 'Benadryl' (yes, shameless plug). Then my sister got bronchitis. Then my other sister got strep. Then my brother got a double ear infection. Then my other sister got strep. Then my other sister got some virus thingy. (Yes, children, that is six kids.) **

**So we all pretty much got over that with the help of an awesome thing called antibiotics. THEN we all got stomach flu. And three bathrooms + six sick kids + 1 sick dad = not fun. **

**But anyways, I won't complain…more than I have, anyways XD. It's a lazy Sunday afternoon so I wrote this. *shrug* I always feel like my stories are worse on lazy afternoons - like my creative juices aren't really flowing, but I'll give it a shot. **

**I'm using Wonder Woman as their 'den mother' because aside from Flash and Bats, she's the Justice League member I'm most familiar with. I'm using her characterization from the Justice League animated series in "non-warrior" mode ;) Hopefully it's up to par. Plus, the Original Seven knows each other's identities, so she obviously knows Robin's. Just an important tidbit=)**

***whew* And now, to end this extremely long author's note: enjoy. =D**

**~~~~SHE SAYS, HOW DID I GET HERE? I'M NOT WHO I ONCE WAS~~**

Wally hung over the back of Mount Justice's couch, sighing. M'gann had chosen a movie - the Last Poem, or something along those lines. It was a stupid, mushy chick flick and he was _bored. _

Robin had yet to make an appearance, something that wasn't too terribly unusual. He usually showed up later with the excuse of homework, or the Joker.

Okay. Well. Usually, it wasn't that particular insane freak. Just when he broke out of Arkham.

Still, it'd be nice if the team's resident hacker would get here.

Like, _now. _

Batman hadn't come either. He was probably still pissed about that kid that got kidnapped. Surely he'd find him soon, though. That's how it worked.

Artemis, unsurprisingly, was uninterested in the movie and was sharpening arrows on the coffee table. He had a nagging suspicion that she was going to use his vital organs as target practice whenever his back was turned.

Their 'den mother' of the week was Wonder Woman, and while he amused himself by examining her rather…_revealing _costume and impressive cleavage, even that became tiresome after a while. She sat at the kitchen table, reading some thick novel.

"So…anyone hear anything out of Rob?" he asked finally, only to be shushed by M'gann, who was curled against Conner's side with a half-empty box of tissues. Sighing, he flipped completely over the couch, wandering to Wonder Woman's side. He was slightly wary of talking to her - last time, he'd gotten a lecture on the history of her island - but there was nothing else to do.

"Hello," she greeted, sliding a bookmark inbetween the pages of her book. "Can I help you with something?"

"No," he mumbled, flopping into a chair opposite her. "Just bored. Robin's usually here by now."

She frowned, concern blanketing her blue eyes. "Yes. I'm sure he'll be here soon," she encouraged with a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. He stared at her suspiciously.

"Do you know something?" he asked bluntly, sitting up straighter. She quirked an eyebrow.

"Know something?"

"About Rob," Wally explained impatiently. She smiled nervously.

"Why would I know something? I doubt there's anything to know. If anything, he's probably helping Batman look for Dick Grayson." She smiled, yet again. "Don't worry about him. He's a very capable child."

"I know." Wally sighed, resting his head in his folded arms on the table. "But I'm _bored_."

**~~I'M CRIPPLED BY THE FEAR I'VE FALLEN TOO FAR TO LOVE…~~**

Batman parked the Batmobile several blocks away from the house, slipping silently from shadow to shadow. He could see the dilapidated building in the distance - it looked abandoned, but if the description in 'P1' was right, their actual hideout would be underground.

He found the doors to a storm shelter/cellar and studied the padlock chaining the two handles together. It was just a lock, with a simple key.

He cut through the chain with a small laser cutter, and quietly opened one of the doors, dropping onto the dirt floor of the cellar. Broken canning jars, molded green beans, and something that appeared to be a bag of knitting littered the floor. Nothing out of the ordinary.

He narrowed his eyes. Was he in the wrong place?

Studying the supposedly sturdy dirt walls, he found a small crack in the shape of a large rectangle - a door. He pressed all around the crack, and finally found a tiny, barely noticeable indention. He pressed it and a keypad appeared, asking for a password.

Normally he'd have Robin hack it, but he wasn't here right now, and besides - where do you think Robin learned those skills?

He plugged in a portable USB cord connected to his glove and a holographic screen appeared, automatically whipping through possible combinations. It gave off an odd, creepy glow to the dim cellar.

There was a slight beep, and the door slid back into the wall. Batman slipped through and it hissed closed behind him.

He found himself in the shadows of a large, cylindrical, darkened room. He was on a catwalk near the ceiling, but it seemed to extend down for at least three floors. A door twenty paces to his right was marked 'lab'.

Men and women, all dressed in black, except for a white skull on their shirts, walked to and from the lab from a set of metal stairs leading to the main level. Another door, just as dingy and rusted as everything but the lab's doors, was on the ground floor. He decided to check out the lab first.

Once the coast was clear, he darted from the shadows and opened the lab's doors a crack. Technicians and more people wearing black studied different machines and test tubes. A large, clear box was next to the wall, but it was empty. Well…almost empty.

Something glinted on the floor and he squinted to see what it was. A small, sharp knife.

Dick's knife. Dick had most likely been held there. But where was he now?

Another door was on the other side of the lab, unmarked. He needed to get in there.

He slipped a hand inside his utility belt and pulled out three smoke pellets, tossing them near the back of one of the machines. They exploded on impact, and the room quickly filled with thick, blinding smoke. Technicians scrambled to figure out what was "wrong" with their machine.

Batman broke for the other door, and slipped through.

~~**BUT DON'T YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE? WHAT HAS BEEN DONE FOR YOU?~~**

Dick breathed heavily as he dodged yet another round of 'stunning lasers', as the woman had called them, pressing his back against the wall. His leg was shaking with the exertion. It had become clear twenty minutes into his 'training' that the medicine hadn't actually healed his wound as quickly as he'd thought - it'd been some type of numbing ointment. It had begun to bleed again.

He was in a good-sized room just off the lab. Three automatic laser guns, on opposite sides, shot round after round at him. The lasers, the woman explained, wouldn't kill him. A graze would be painful. A direct hit would temporarily paralyze him.

He'd already been grazed twice, and she hadn't lied. It _hurt_.

To make things more difficult, the training simulator he was in wasn't flat, level ground. It was programmed to look like a jungle, with random rocks and trees and a false sensation of freedom, as the 'sky' had transformed from its dingy gray to clear blue. Whatever this cult was, they had some seriously advanced technology.

Suddenly there was a loud creak, like a door being opened, and he tensed. Maybe the woman had decided to add a new threat.

He turned to see two dearly familiar glowing eyes in the shadows. He forced his gaze away, not wanting to give away his mentor's position.

More lasers shot out, and this time, distracted by the possibility of salvation, one caught him in the back. He went down, muscles spasming before turning to goo.

There was a slight whirring noise, and yet another door opened, revealing the woman, clapping slowly. "Most impressive, child," she murmured. "You exceeded my expectations by far."

He could only gulp down air, glaring.

"You, however…" She suddenly tossed out a throwing knife towards the shadows, and Batman had to roll away to avoid being stabbed. "Have not."

Crouching, Batman glared at the woman. "Just let the kid go," he growled. "Whatever you want with him, it's not worth it."

"I beg to differ." The woman tilted her head, features still hidden beneath the ever-present ski mask. "Grayson is a very skilled child." When Batman didn't respond, she continued, "Thought I definitely expected more of you, Batman. I've been tracking you since you entered the facility. With someone of your reputation, I thought you'd get a bit further."

"It's not over yet," he ground out, slinging two Batarangs at her. She caught one of them and let the other imbed itself in the far wall, neatly sidestepping. The simulation's obstacles disappeared, leaving them again in a drab, gray room.

In an explosion of black cape, Batman swung a fist out, nearly catching the woman's side. She handspringed over him, kicking out with her high-heels. He countered with a smoke pellet, aiming to confuse her, but it was no avail. She seemed just as trained to fight with limited sight as he.

Dick, for his part, was desperately trying to force his muscles to move. With his nervous system temporarily shorted out, there was little he could do until it decided to turn back on. He watched the woman and Batman exchange rapid punches, kicks, and weapons, neither landing a solid hit. They seemed evenly matched.

Until of course, about two dozen skull-people poured in.

"I see you fight fair," Dick grumbled sarcastically, forcing his sluggish facial muscles to work. His fingers and toes were starting to tingle. The woman didn't answer as Batman was subdued, pressed flat on the stomach with his hands secured with thick cuffs, similar to the ones Dick was led with.

"It's time to abandon ship," the woman said smoothly. All but four of the skull-people, who stayed to cuff Batman's ankles together, hurried away. Dick was forced to watch as they forced Batman against the wall, chaining his ankles to the floor and wrists to the wall. He attempted to get up, but his legs still felt like jelly, and refused to cooperate.

The woman set a small box, which was really just a messy pile of wires, on the opposite side of the room. She then held up a small, revolver-shaped detonator. "The bomb is set to go off in thirty minutes," she explained in her cool, calm voice. "Perhaps you will surprise me and manage to escape."

Dick looked pleadingly at Batman as one of the skull-people slung him over their shoulders, cuffing his wrists with lighter chains. Batman had a barely perceptible nod, invisible to anyone who hadn't spent the last four years with him. _Don't worry. I got this. Just worry about yourself. _

Dick squeezed his eyes shut. "You can't kill Batman!" he yelled at the woman. "He's Gotham's hero!"

She turned. "Child, Batman is no hero. Superman could break out of those chains. Wonder Woman could have defeated me. Flash could have grabbed you and escaped within five seconds." She turned her cool gaze to the Dark Knight. "But no…Batman is no hero."

"Yes he is!" Right now, Dick didn't know why he was arguing. Just stalling for time. "He's saved people!"

She laughed, a hauntingly tinkling sound. "Little boy, what kind of hero can be expected to save everyone else if he can't even save himself?"

She shook her head, then led everyone out, leaving Batman along.

**~~YOU ARE MORE THAN THE CHOICES THAT YOU'VE MADE~~**

**Realized I'd forgotten to do this for awhile, so: Nope. Don't own a drop of DC. If I did, every episode of YJ would focus on Robin, and every couple minutes we'd get to see his adorable baby blues. 3 **

**Did you notice this chapter was like 800 words longer? ;D **

**Also, I don't own "You Are More", which is the song in the break lines. Nope, that belongs to Tenth Avenue North. **

**No review responses :/ I'm sorry. We're going to visit my grandma soon, so…But to the reviewer (**Your Local Cow**) who suggested I post all the other stories I write: I'm really uncomfortable and nervous posting stories I'm not at least 90% happy with. Most of the stories I just write for fun are not up to my standards, and therefore, I do not post. =D Thanks for the suggestion, though.**

**Also, a note on the name "Paul Deen". It's inspired by the author of some of my favorite recipes - Paula Dean. She's awesome. I want to own a bakery someday, so I love her. ^^**

**BTW: Is there anyway to upload a document directly from an iPod Touch notepad to Fanfiction? My laptop's an old dinosaur that can't leave its charger, so I can't take it places, but I type on my iPod. **

**So, yeah. I think that's all. Until next time, adios! **


	8. End of the Rope

**Heyyy. I'm alive. Shocking, right? You'll probably have to go back and reread chapters just to remember what this is about. :P **

**Okay. Wow. How long's it been? Six months? I'm so, so sorry, guys. I struggled with being happy with my weight throughout jr. high, and it finally got way worse the past few months and I was diagnosed with an eating disorder. I've had to go to so many doctors and counselors I can't even remember all their names. On the bright side, I'm definitely on the road to recovery and I have some awesome anti-depressants that make me feel tons better.**

**Oh! And I got baptized! ^^ That was fun. **

**Anyways, again, I apologize. I really didn't have much energy or time to write, but now, I do. **

**Anyone else totally pumped for the Dark Knight Rises? I want to go to the midnight showing SOOOOO bad, but I can't exactly drive yet so that's a problem. I'm going the morning after it comes out, though.**

**Okay, onto the story. I hope you like it!**

( R )

Batman jerked at the cuffs, testing their strength, and scowled when they held tightly. No problem. The woman, obviously, had never dealt with him.

A laser shot from a device in his right glove, and he aimed it expertly at the chains. They melted like butter, and he moved to his ankles. He tried the door, but it was bolted. He could get it down, eventually, but it'd be safer to disarm the bomb first.

He hurried to the bomb, inspecting the wires inside. He'd had way too much experience in disarming bombs, but at least it came in handy now. He took wire cutters from his utility belt and carefully snipped, holding his breath after each cut.

He didn't blow himself up _right _away, anyway.

The bomb hissed, shaking, and Batman stepped back. Defense mechanism? He crouched as low as he could in the corner, cape covering his face just in case. It could be one of those bombs that decided to blow up unless you specifically turned it off with the detonator remote.

His cape protection paid off. The bomb exploded, sending flames everywhere and the walls and ceiling crumbling.

His cape was fire-proof, but it wasn't chunk-of-cement proof. A piece of stone hit him, and everything went black.

( R )

Robin struggled against his chains, feeling finally returning enough to at least put up a light protest. The man carrying him didn't even seem to notice, calmly carrying him to a black SUV sitting outside.

"Let me go!" he yelled. "Stop it!" There were other houses around, but he didn't know if they were occupied or not, but it was worth a shot. "Someone, help! I'm being kid-"

A gag was shoved in his mouth and he nearly choked, but stopped himself to at least savor a little dignity. He simply glared at the woman, who ignored him pointedly.

He was shoved in the back seat of the sedan, the cuffs on his wrists cuffed to a metal loop on the car's ceiling. The windows were darkly tinted inside and out, so that he could only make out vague outlines of objects outside.

The woman slipped in smoothly beside him, and two skull-people - man, he needed a better name for those guys - jumped in the front. The rest jumped in black vans or Jeeps. The woman finally pulled out his gag.

Dick pulled on the chains, but only succeeded in hurting his wrists. He squirmed in his seat, desperate to see if Batman got out alive.

Suddenly the car shook, as if a shock wave had hit it, and through the dark windows Dick saw the house collapse. "No!" he screamed. "We have to see if he's alive!"

The woman stared at him coldly. "Child, there is no chance-"

"Stop it!" Dick yelled, tears of grief and anger flooding his eyes. "Stop calling me 'child' all the time! My name's Dick!" He took a deep breath which was really more like a sob. "We have to go see if he's okay! He's alive, I know it, but we have to-"

"Silent," the woman thundered. "I have been incredibly patient with you, Little One, but that can change. The games begin in a week. I can do things to you that won't affect your performance. Be. Quiet."

Dick finally fell silent, tears silently dripping down his cheeks. He normally didn't cry, but right now he was too tired to try to stop the tears. He was exhausted, his leg hurt, he was going to be the 'prey' in a sick, twisted 'initiation', and most importantly, his mentor, his father figure, was probably injured and maybe even…

No. No, he couldn't think about that. Not right now. He had to focus on escaping. The moment they unlocked his chains at…wherever they were going, he was gone. He'd run so fast, so far they'd never catch him.

Deep in his heart, he knew that the plan was unrealistic. His leg made him slower, clumsier. The men were just as trained as him, yet adults. They'd catch him.

But just for now, to give him a shred of hope, he let himself believe in it.

( R )

Bruce awoke in the Batcave, Alfred leaning over him. He could hear a heart monitor's beeping and his vision was slightly blurry.

"Ah, there you are, Master Bruce. If you could lie still for just a moment…"

The butler's hands finished wrapping the bandages around his head. "There. I suggest you rest for a while, Master Bruce. You took quite a blow to the head."

Bruce blinked his vision clear and quickly took stock of his condition. He still had all his arms and legs, so that was a start. He was sore, and it felt like his back was badly bruised, and his head throbbed, but for having a house collapsed on him, he was doing pretty well.

"I came and retrieved you when your belt stopped transmitting," the old man explained, gesturing to the crushed piece of metal sitting on the counter. "Luckyily whatever fell hit that, and not you, for you'd be crushed."

"What a nice thought," Bruce said dryly. He gingerly sat up, touching his head. "He was there, Alfred."

The butler paused in his task of rolling bandages. "Master Dick?" Bruce nodded. "You found him?"

Bruce closed his eyes. "I did. But I couldn't bring him home. They got away with him, Alfred."

The old man had gone pale. "And…was he alright?"

"His leg was bothering him, I could tell. It was bandaged - pretty well, by what I could see, but they already having him do some sort of training program. It can't be good on it."

Alfred frowned. "Any ideas of where they might have taken him?"

Bruce pursed his lips. "No. And now I don't have any sort of clue. I'm starting from scratch." He started to ease himself off the bed.

"Master Bruce!" Alfred exclaimed. "You have a grade two concussion! You need to rest!"

"Alfred, they want him for something. There was a woman there - the woman the school guard had described. She kept going on about him being a 'skilled child'. They could be trying to recruit him for something…" he mused, walking, a bit unsteadily, to the Batcomputer.

Alfred frowned, but knew he wouldn't convince a man as stubborn as Bruce to rest. Instead, he gave a resigned sigh and helped him to the large computer chair. "Recruit him for what, sir?"

"I'm not sure. They were training him, preparing him…but I didn't see any others even close to his age in the 'cult'. They're all adults." Bruce steeped his fingers, ignoring his headache.

"Perhaps they decided to raise a generation of new members?" Alfred suggested, brow furrowed.

Bruce frowned. "Maybe." He typed the farmhouse's address into his computer. "It just doesn't feel like that…it seemed like they were testing him, evaluating him." He pursed his lips. "Maybe he's…some type of target practice for them? A game, for the members to play? Hunt him down, fight him…" His eyes widened. On a hunch, his fingers flew across the keyboard.

There'd been a rash of murders over the past year. They'd started as criminals, kidnapped from their cells. All had committed horrendous crimes. Every body had been found bloodied and bruised, left in industrial dumpsters around the city. Every one of them had been highly skilled in fighting.

Eventually, men and women were stolen from the streets. They'd been killed just like the rest, and left in dumpsters. They, too, were always trained in something like martial arts or the like. Batman was always sure they were connected, but he just didn't know why, or who.

What if they'd been targets? Playthings?

Or…a test. What if…what if every member was required to hunt down and kill his prey?

What if he found Dick in a dumpster, bloody, lifeless blue eyes staring up at him?

( R )

Dick tensed as the SUV rolled to a stop. His door opened and a muscular man grabbed his wrists before unhooking him from the car.

The boy leapt into action, driving his foot between the man's legs in his sensitive spot. He usually didn't do that, but now he just didn't care.

He took down another skull person and made a run for it.

He could hear cars in the distance, and ran with all his might towards the noise, yelling for help. He zig-zagged through a thick clump of trees, hoping to loose his pursuers. He could hear them, cracking twigs and crunching dry leaves behind him.

He made it to the edge of the road before someone grabbed his waist, hauling him back. He screamed, desperate for someone to hear his pleas. Normally, he hated having to be rescued, but right now he couldn't care less if Booster Gold managed to free him. Or even a civilian - he just wanted it to end!

As he was carried away, a blue Jeep full of teenage boys drove by. He gave one final, hoarse yell of 'help!' before a gag was stuffed in his mouth.

( R )

Miles away, at Gotham Police Headquarters, the commissioner got a report that a teenage boy had claimed seeing a small, black-haired boy being kidnapped…

( R )

**Okay. Whew. I'm done. 1,600 words! Yay! Sorry if I made Dick too emotional…I just thought he might be at the end of his rope, totally stressed out and hurt and all that…he is only 13, after all…**

**Still, it's probably OOC. Oh well.**

**Anyway, I'm going to do review responses this time. I'll reply to the ones for chapter 7, and desperately try to keep up, and answer for every chapter.**

**Geekfreak101: **Haha, thanks!

**Pirate Queen ofthe 21****st**** Century: **…that's a lot of "pleases". Here you go! =)

**C0pypa5ted3lete: **Thanks! My grandma's doing pretty well. She's in a nursing home now, but it's better than expected so for that I'm grateful.

**Bethlovesall: **Thank you! Hope this meets your expectations!

**Lady Star Sapphire: **Thanks! =) I hope you continue to read! (Love your pen name, by the way. Star Sapphire was in my favorite JLU episode.)

**Lakeshine: **Thanks!

**Liza Cobbler: **Thank you!

**Katt Kiki: =D**

**FudoTwin17: **Well duh he is! We just have to convince "the woman", haha. Thanks!

**Cirruz The Night Elf: **Lol, thanks!

**Mara jade chase: **Thank you so much! I really love your pen name, by the way. I'm a Star Wars fan and Mara Jade is one of my favorites!

**Jimmy Candlestick: **Um…thanks? Lol, I hope you don't hate me! =D But seriously, thank you.

**HonourProject**: Thanks! And thank you, my grandma is much better.

**CHiKa-RoXy: **Lol, yeah. It goes around fast. Hope this chapter answers your questions! Once Dick is fully recovered, he should totally kick those goons' butts! =D

**ARL15: **You hate the lady? Yay, I've succeeded!

**Mistovermoon: **Here ya go! Sorry I took so long!

**Alex Skywalker: **Thanks! Haha, thank you! I hope you like this one! (And you are soooo lucky to see TAN live!)

**Mixxi: **Hey, my favorite song! =)

**KrazyKreative: **Thanks! That's one of the best compliments I've ever gotten!

**There you have it…sorry if I missed anyone! Just review this chapter and I'll hopefully get to you. =D **

**Please review! **


	9. Calling In The

**This chapter dedicated to the lives lost in Colorado. I don't know how someone could commit such a heartless act, but my prayers go out to the victims' families and friends. **

**Again, nothing in this story is mine except the cult. =) If you use it, I'll sue! (OK, not really, use it if you want, I really don't care.)**

**~Breakline~**

The woman paced in front of Dick, who was gagged and tied hand and foot to a chair, which was bolted to the ground.

"What am I going to do to you?" she asked in a scolding tone. "Running away…now, that cannot go unpunished."

He glared up at her, wishing he could give her a piece of his mind.

"We could have been discovered," she continued, lifting his chin with her sharp nails. "And we don't want that, do we? Because if we are, you're dead, Little One."

She casually took a dagger from a thigh holster, running her finder along the blunt edge. "I am angry with you," she said calmly. "And it would give me nothing but pleasure to kill you, right now." She turned to him, swinging the dagger inches from his throat. "And yet, your little…escape act has shown me just how much of a challenge you will be. I can't kill you, yet." She leaned forward, digging her thumb into his wound, staring at him with those cold brown eyes. He squirmed uselessly, clamping his jaw to keep from screaming.

"But you just wait, child. I will be taking part in the hunt. And I will break your bones, one by one, and leave you in agony as I carve my name into your flesh. And then…" she paused, staring at him. "I will break your skull."

With a feral look on her face, she holstered the dagger and stalked off.

As the pain in his leg receded, Dick took the opportunity to get a feel for his surroundings. He'd been blindfolded on the way in, and hadn't even thought to look at…wherever he was before making a run for it.

His chair was near a sturdy-looking wall, but he wasn't in a cage this time. The 'skull people' had set up nearly half of the machines, and it was starting to look a lot like the last place's lab.

His stomach growled and he realized it'd been some time since he'd had something to eat - or drink, for that matter. He was parched, and starving.

To make matters worse, he couldn't even sleep comfortably in this chair. At least in the plastic box, he was able to lie down. Here, he could barely slump over. Okay…something was wrong if he was actually _missing _his box.

His thoughts unconsciously drifted to his mentor. He knew he was alive - Batman knew how to protect himself, but it didn't keep him from worrying. What if he was still under the rubble, injured, unable to get out? What if he had an awful concussion and slipped into a coma? What if some piece of sharp metal slit his throat, and-

Okay, he was worrying waaayyy too much. Bruce was fine, he knew. Probably, Alfred had already come to get him, if he hadn't already left himself. Yeah, he was most likely just fine, at home, in the Batcave, searching for more clues.

To keep his mind off worry, he thought of what it was going to be like when he got home. (And he was getting home, no doubt about that.) Alfred would make him cookies and milk, and fuss over his wound. Bruce would make sure Dick was never more than a hundred feet from him, and probably would start meeting him at the school's doors.

Wally'd probably hug him, he reasoned. Since the redhead was his best friend, it was his duty, as so, to give him a welcome-back hug after being kidnapped. It was practically in the best friend rule book, you know.

He sighed, breaking from his thoughts. He missed home. He missed his bed, and he missed Alfred, and Wally, and the Team. He missed his friends at school.

Most especially, he missed Bruce. As cold as the man seemed, he was actually a pretty good father-figure. His parenting methods were, admittedly, different than his biological parents, but they worked well enough.

He glanced over as the woman appeared through a set of wide, gray-colored double doors, holding a plate of something mushy and yellow-colored, along with a bottle of water. She approached him, eyes still snapping with anger.

She yanked his gag out, glaring. "Do not speak." She shoveled a spoon into the mush, and attempted to put it in his mouth. He pressed his lips together, scowling.

"You expect me to eat that?" he exclaimed. "For all I know, you've poisoned it."

"I have no logical reason to kill you, yet," she growled. "But if you wish to starve and thirst, be my guest."

Reluctantly he let her shove the spoonful of tasteless mush into his mouth, and the water afterwards. Once the food was gone, the gag was immediately shoved back in his mouth, and the woman stalked away.

~Breakline~

Commissioner Gordon waited by the Batsignal, watching for the telltale shadow to appear on the rooftop. He had a feeling Batman would he eager to hear the news about Dick - or what they assumed to be Dick, anyways.

He heard a door click shut quietly and turned to see the Bat standing behind him. Gordon raised an eyebrow. "Did you just…use the stairs?"

Batman just stared at him. Yes, he'd used the stairs, but only because of his concussion. He was tough and stubborn, but he wasn't stupid. It was NOT a good idea to use a grapple with a grade two concussion, no matter who you were.

Gordon shrugged. "Okay…alrighty then. Just thought you'd like to see a report we got." He handed the vigilante a few sheets of copy paper filled with information.

After a few moments Batman glanced up. "When did you get this?"

"Maybe half an hour ago. I wasn't informed until just now, because they thought it was just some teenagers playing a prank. But I figured it was too much of a coincidence."

Batman nodded, folding the papers into a neat square. He nodded at Gordon, then quickly disappeared down the stairwell again.

"Crazy Bats," Gordon muttered, turning off the signal.

~Breakline~

Batman crouched by the huge metal disk lying flat in the tall grass. He knew what this was. Across the country, during the Cold War, nuclear safe houses - bunkers - had been constructed, 17 stories below ground. All you could see of them was these disks, nearly 20 feet across, virtually invisible if someone wasn't looking for it.

After the war, most of them had been destroyed, but some had been overlooked and remained, just a leftover piece of history.

Batman scowled. With his concussion, he really wasn't in any condition to fight the woman, and her henchman, again. He was still unsteady, and one misstep might prove fatal for his ward…son, he supposed…held captive somewhere down there.

With a resigned sigh, he activated his communicator.

~Breakline~

**And there we have it! Chapter 9! What do you think? I know it's kind of a filler, but as you can probably see, there'll be action in the next chapter. **

**I need an answer to this vote. I can either:**

**A) Bring in Young Justice, or**

**B) Bring in select members of the League**

**I think I know what you guys'll pick, just making sure. =)**

**Sorry, no review responses. I just don't have time anymore, you know what I mean? To make matters worse, school starts August 7. So not looking forward to it. **

**Hope to like it! Oh, I decided to post a riddle at the end of each chapter, and let you guys guess the answer! So, here's the first one!**

"**It's better than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it you'll die. What is it?" Give it your best shot, guys, and see you next time!**


	10. Close

**Hey Guys! I am so, so, SO sorry I took so long to update! I've really been into art lately - I've always loved drawing, and I take classes, but I recently discovered the joy of oil pastels! I know; I took forever. Rest assured, I will not abandon this story, short of me unfortunately dying. I hope I still have some followers, after making you wait so long!;) **

**Anyways, enough of that - onto the story.**

Flash, the Cave's current 'den-mother', was currently whipping his nephew's butt at air hockey. Badly.

Artemis and Robin were looking on, giggling, while M'gann cheered for her redheaded teammate, throwing in random things like '_no offense, Flash', _even when Wally was losing 23 to 2. Kaldur looked amused by the game, though quite perturbed that a grown man was so prideful in beating a 15-year-old.

As the score became 24 to 2, Flash's comlink went off. He groaned, disappointed he had to leave the game, but answered anyways. "Flash here."

"_I've located Dick Grayson's position. I'm going to need some aid to extract him. Sending coordinates._" The gravelly voice, easily recognizable as Batman's, spoke through the comm. Flash brightened.

"Gotcha, Bats. On my way." He clicked off the device and turned to see the expectant faces of the team.

"Let me come!" Wally exclaimed, green eyes wide with excitement. "After all, I _saw _him get kidnapped! We almost got him the first time. Now I can finally prove myself to Bats!"

Flash shook his head, laying a hand on the teen's shoulder. "No, Wally. This is a…delicate…mission. A misstep might prove fatal for Dick, and that would be awful."

"You're saying I'll mess up?" Wally asked, furrowing his brow in irritation.

Flash quickly backtracked, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant. Wally, I just need you to stay here, okay? I mean it."

Wally was about to argue more, but stopped. He drooped visibly. "Fine," he mumbled. Flash smiled, patting his head.

"Now, I've got to get going. Back in a flash!"

There was a blur of red, and then he was gone.

This was it. The _hunt. _

He was in a room much like his 'training' room, with artificial trees, logs, and even a sky. If he made it out if this, he was so studying this technology.

_Not if, _he reminded himself, _when. You'll get out of this._

Still, he had to admit that in some small corner of his mind, he was doubtful. There was no clear exit, and even if he did find one, there were dozens - who knows, perhaps hundreds - just waiting to take him down.

Shaking those thoughts aside, he carefully turned and climbed the nearest tall tree he saw, settling in its upper branches. Hopefully the adults wouldn't think to climb the tree, and if they did, maybe they wouldn't be very good tree climbers.

Yeah, right. And Chuck Norris was his father.

Pursing his lips, he saw a woman dressed in green, with black streaked on her face, creep past his tree. What, did she think she was on a deer hunt? Was there a blind somewhere to use?

Smiling slightly at his little joke, Dick watched the woman pass. He breathed a small sigh of relief, settling down. He saw no one else for five minutes.

Eventually, a heavy-set, muscular man walked passed. He seemed more alert than the woman, and held a pistol in his right hand, constantly looking around. Soon, he'd looked up.

Dick was still clothed in his original outfit, khaki pants, a dress shirt, and a nice jacket with Gotham Academy's emblem on it. He'd long since abandoned his tie…he always hated the things anyways.

Still, he certainly didn't blend in with the trees.

The pistol was pointed upwards, and there was a bang. Wood shavings exploded in front of his face, and he instinctively dove behind a larger branch for a bit better cover. Maybe a tree wasn't the best idea. A couple more shots, both wide.

There was silence for a couple moments and he peeked out from behind the leaves in front of his face. Something small and black was soaring through the air towards him, and his eyes widened. A hand grenade. Awesome.

Knowing the 20-foot jump from the tree was better than being blown up, he dove head-first, flipping once before landing on his feet. Pain shot up his injured leg and he almost fell.

Above him, the tree's branches burst into flames. The man was approaching with the pistol, aiming it at his head. Dick fled, zigzagging through the trees, bullets whipping passed his face and biting into the ground at his feet. Breathing ragged, fire racing through his thigh, he dove into a small alcove that a tree's roots had made, curling into a ball and trying to still his heavy breathing.

Footsteps thudded up to the tree, and he held his breath as he heard the slight crackle of dirt and leaves. After a moment, the man took off in the opposite direction.

Letting out a relieved breath, Dick took a moment to inspect his wound. It was bleeding again. Awesome.

He settled against the tree, suddenly very tired, and closed his eyes, just for a second. Before he knew it, a knife was slashing down towards him, courtesy of the woman who'd passed him the first time. He gasped and rolled sideways, feeling it slice across his stomach.

He leapt to his feet, sweeping her legs out from under her. She retaliated with another knife swipe at his ankles, which he smoothly jumped over. He grabbed her wrist holding the knife and squeezed, forcing her hand open. Taking the knife, he smashed the hilt against her forehead, and she slumped sideways.

Satisfied with his handiwork, he stood and limped away, one arm wrapped around his stinging midsection.

"I still don't know about this," M'gann said timidly, glancing nervously at Wally. The others were silent, wrapped up in their own thoughts.

"Don't worry!" Wally said with a blinding grin. "See, _stay here _is actually code for _come after me after you're sure I'm gone._"

M'gann bit her lip. "If you say so," she murmured, glancing out the window. Artemis snickered, covering her mouth.

"How'd you even get the coordinates, Baywatch?" she asked, glancing at the green-eyed speedster.

"Every message in text format goes through the Justice League mainframe," he explained. "And since the Cave's computer is hooked up to the Justice League's, it just took a little…maneuvering through the files till I found it."

"Hm," Artemis said noncommittally. "Is that the place?" she suddenly asked, pointing to where the Batmobile was parked.

"That's it!" M'gann confirmed, bringing the ship down. Everyone hurried from the ship, carefully walking around the odd, gray circle's perimeter.

"Batman's been here," Superboy said suddenly, pointing to something on the circle. A smaller circle had been carved out and put back, but you could tell by the slight cracks going around it.

M'gann lifted the circle up with her telekinesis, and Wally almost jumped right into the hole. "Whoa, slow down, Baywatch!" Artemis exclaimed. "Why are you so eager to go on this mission, anyways?"

"I was on the mission to try and get him before he was kidnapped, at his school," he explained. "I was…too slow. They'd already shot him, and dragged him to a van with a gun held to his head. His foster dad was there, too - he looked scared, like he was never gonna see him again, and even offered to trade himself." He sighed. "I became a hero so I wouldn't see things like that. I'm going to get his son back, one way or another."

Artemis almost looked sympathetic, patting his shoulder. "We'll get him, Kid. And you'll get to see the dad's smile when he finally sees his son again." Wally shot her a grateful smile, then carefully dropped into the hole.

Below the teens was a near-empty room, save for about five technician-looking people and a bunch of machines, plus a couple guards holding scary-looking guns.

That, and a chair that had a small bloodstain on the leg.

"_He's been here," _Wally said through the mind link. "_See? There's blood on the chair._"

"_Then where is Batman and the others?_" Kaldur asked, wrinkling his brow. He hadn't been very happy with this plan to begin with, so if anything went wrong, he was not going to be a happy person.

"_Um…there, I guess,_" Wally said, gesturing to the only other door that wasn't rusted down or broken. _"I bet Dick's in there, too._"

Artemis attached a grapple arrow to the ceiling, and with a grin went swinging towards the guards. Their eyes widened in surprise right before her boots thudded into their chests, sending them to the floor. Kid Flash was right behind her, sliding down the rope, and aiming two solid punches to their heads, knocking them out.

He turned, expecting the technicians to at least trigger an alarm, but they were still just standing there, emotionless, occasionally writing things on their clipboards. "Well…that's creepy," Wally decided. The Team walked over to the door, carefully opening it.

Needless to say, they were confused at what they saw. Trees, logs, grass, sky…weren't they underground?

Wally turned in a slow, deliberate circle. Everywhere looked the same. Even the door they'd just come through was now invisible, appearing as a solid rock wall. On a hunch, Wally knelt and brushed away a good six inches of dirt. As he suspected, a metal floor, covered in small glowing lights, stared back up at him.

"That's so weird," he murmured. "They're like holograms, except they're solid…"

"You can go over all that sciency tech stuff with Robin when we get back," Artemis said. "Let's find the kid. He's probably terrified."

Dick couldn't help but smirk as his feet collided with the man's back, sending him to the dirt floor. His head thudded into a blunt rock, sending him into unconsciousness. Robin grabbed his gun and hid it in a nearby bush.

He had to admit, that while he liked taking down the bad guys, he really didn't feel too good. The wound on his stomach, though not deep, stung whenever he moved, his gunshot wound wasn't helping matters, and he was pretty sure he was sick. Illness tended to strike when you're kidnapped, tied up for several days, shot, cut, and hunted through an artificial forest.

Rubbing his clammy hands together, he heard faint footsteps crunching through the leaves and rolled behind a thick tree trunk. His stomach and leg protested painfully, but he ignored them. He peered around the trunk, seeing two large black boots, gray leggings, a utility belt-

"Batman!" Dick leapt from behind the tree, stumbling when his leg didn't like that much. He grinned up at his mentor, who smiled back slightly. Knowing that he couldn't do much, to maintain his secret identity, he laid a hand on his son's shoulder.

Dick suddenly realized Wonder Woman and Flash were behind him, and smiled at the two. "Hi, guys!"

It was Wonder Woman and Flash who fussed over him, not having to keep up the appearance of a big bad bat, checking his bullet wound - which, despite the woman's 'care', was infected -, the cut, and Wonder Woman put a hand on his forehead.

"You have a fever," she said in her smooth, calm voice reserved for injured teammates and children. "Why don't we get you out of here?"

He nodded gratefully, starting to limp forward before Flash picked him up and put him in a cradle hold. "You've lost weight, kid," he murmured quietly. "Are you okay?"

Dick nodded, ever so slightly, lying his head on the hero's chest. He was so tired. He just wanted to go home.

**GUYS! THIS CHAPTER IS OVER 2,000 WORDS! That's a new record for me!;-)**

**Rest assured, it is far from over =) There's still much, much more plot left! **

**Okay, so I know this is Young Justice, but have any of you ever watched the show Psych? It is SO. FUNNY. Seriously. If you haven't seen it, watch it. I guarantee you'll enjoy it. **

**So, last chapter's riddle: "It's better than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it, the rich want it, and if you eat it you'll die. What is it?"**

**The reviewers that got it right were: **() Nightwing Forever (), ShripmyJess97, totallyawesome1398, Hawkwing-Miskit, XxNeonShadowsxX, nautrolover6661, romirola, READINGhearts17, NerdGirl112, Glacier22, minichurros123, Gilmare, celestialstarynight, AdenaWolf, Drindalis, Sairey13, animecutie610, Eaglator23...whew! I think that's it, but if I missed you drop a line and I'll add you!;)

**A bunch of you got it, but I had some other good guesses too! I guess I'll need a harder one. Hmmm…how about: **

"**The person who makes it has no need for it. The person who purchases it does not use it. The person that does use it doesn't know he is. What is it?"**

**This one stumped me! Hopefully I've got you, too!;) **

**I'll try to update as soon as I can, but with the holiday rush I'm not sure when that'll be. But I know how it'll all play out a little better now so hopefully that'll help. I guess those English outlines were good for something after all…**

**Oooohh! Before I go, I'd like to encourage you to ask your parents or grandparents to just make a donation in your name to World Vision, PETA, or some other nonprofit - instead of that new iphone, laptop, or whatever it is you're wanting. I know, I'm preaching, but I felt like I've really been called to missions, so why not start in the place where I reached 25,000+ visitors since I uploaded this story? Just a thought…**

**Anyways, I gotta go! See you later, guys!**


	11. He Who Loses Goes Insane?

So, um, it's been like forever since I last updated. Here's why: my computer broke and I haven't been able to fix it or get a new one (money probs…my dad lost his job, FYI, so if you could shoot up a quick prayer that'd be great)! As it is I'm typing this as quickly as I can in the one hour session the library computers let you have, so if anything's misspelled, it's probably because I didn't have time to proofread it.

BTW I'm up to 261 reviews! That's insane! Thanks so much everyone!

Without further ado, onto the story.

Despite it all, Dick Grayson was happy. He was going home. He was in his honorary "uncle's" arms, and his foster father was walking just a step in front of them. He'd see Alfred. He'd see Wally. He'd see Babs.

He honestly couldn't ask for anything more. Well, except maybe for his leg to stop throbbing. That would be nice, he supposed. And maybe one of Alfred's chocolate chip cookies. Yep, that would seal the deal for sure.

They had almost reached the door when the woman suddenly stepped in front of them. "That is my prey," she said, voice like steel and ice in one. "I must ask you to return it."

Flash frowned. "I don't know who you are, lady, but it's kind of our job to take your 'prey' – so we'll just get going." He tried to step around her, but she put a hand on his arm. A hand that happened to be hiding a tiny, powerful tazer. Flash dropped to the ground, spasming, and as a result Dick rolled to the ground.

He growled as Flash finally passed out, body smoking with the residual energy. Diana scowled, launching herself forward. The woman sidestepped, slamming her fist into Diana's temple. The princess staggered but stayed upright, throwing her own fist forward. It connected with the woman's shoulder, spinning her in a full circle. She fell onto the ground but quickly leapt to her feet as Batman joined the fray.

Dick, for his part, knelt by Flash and gently shook his shoulder. He seemed to be relatively uninjured, just unconscious. "Flash," he whispered, putting a hand on his back. "Flash!"

The man stubbornly stayed unconscious, not responding to Dick's attempts to awake him. The boy frowned up at the woman, who had just landed a lucky hit to Diana's head. The woman fell heavily, and didn't get back up.

This wasn't happening. How did this woman, this pathetic woman, take down two of the League's powerhouses? That didn't seem possible.

He watched for another moment as Batman cut into her hand with a batarang. She hissed, jumping back – right into the broad chest of a certain teenage clone.

Dick's jaw dropped as he immediately recognized his team. Kid Flash, M'gann, Artemis, Superboy, Kaldur…all of them had come. Superboy wrapped his arms around the woman's chest, squeezing not tight enough to kill, but enough to keep her restrained. Diana and Flash groggily climbed to their feet.

"No!" the woman screamed inhumanely. "He's my prey – I have to hunt him. I have to kill him!"

She struggled in the boy's arms, screaming like she'd suddenly gone insane. Kaldur snapped handcuffs around her wrists, jerking her back against him. "Be still," he ordered. "It is over."

She suddenly lurched forward with all her strength, surprising the Team's leader enough that she escaped. She lunged at Dick, knives suddenly appearing in the side of what had appeared normal black gloves. As she did, however, Batman grabbed her upper arms and drove his elbow into the back of her neck. She slumped, boneless, to the ground as Dick stared up at his mentor.

By this time most of the other 'hunters' had gathered around to see the commotion, most likely wanting to be a part of it. "We have overtaken your leader," Diana announced in an authorative voice. "Lay down your arms and come quietly."

Most of the men and women, quickly recognizing members of the Justice League, slowly set their guns, knives, and other weapons down. The others that chose to try to take them on, however, were quickly dispatched by the Team, Flash, and Wonder Woman.

Batman stayed behind to kneel by Dick, who was still sitting in a small patch of tall grass. His eyes were wide and if Batman wasn't mistaken, there were a couple tears shining in his blue gaze. "That...was kinda scary."

Batman took a roll of gauze from his utility belt. "It's okay, Dick. You're safe now." Dick leaned into his shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of aftershave and Kevlar.

"Isn't that sweet?"

Both father and son jumped and turned at the sickly sweet voice. The woman was now standing holding a discarded gun in her hands, which were still handcuffed but now in front of her. The gun was leveled at Dick's head. The woman was no longer the calm, collected, yet cruel person Dick remembered. She now had a crazed look in her eye, the look of someone who wasn't used to being defeated and would do whatever it takes to fulfill her goal.

The gun was shaking in her hands as Dick stared down the barrel. He was no longer scared, or upset. He was just angry. Angry at this woman for trying to kill his father. Angry for being kidnapped, angry for being made part of this insane hunt. Angry for the other lives she'd no doubt destroyed.

He jumped to the side as the gun went off, the bullet grazing his shoulder. He didn't notice, just launched himself towards her. His throbbing leg, his cut, his illness, his exhaustion were all forgotten as he kicked the gun out of her hand. He swung himself into a roundhouse, and she fell. He placed his now bare foot on her chest.

"Don't ever mess with me again," he hissed. Fear registered in her gaze as she was now the captive of the boy she'd injured, hunted, tried to kill. His eyes were cold as he stared down at her.

"You're not worth my time," he finally spat out, stepping off of her. As he did, and the adrenaline rush faded, everything else came rushing back. His injuries, his illness, the stress of the last several days.

He swayed as everything wavered around him. He caught sight of his Team, his mentor, and his honorary family running towards him.

And then he collapsed.

Heh heh. Aren't I great at cliff-hangers!? ^^ I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible. This chapter feels choppy to me but I don't have time to edit it as I have like 12 minutes of my session left. Thanks for reading!

Here's your riddle of the chapter: Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. And whoever knows it wants it not. What is it?


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